We were lucky to catch up with Ife Thomas recently and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Ife, thanks for joining us today. Alright, so you had your idea and then what happened? Can you walk us through the story of how you went from just an idea to executing on the idea

HER GLOW started in 2014 while I was earning my MA in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship at Goldsmiths, University of London. As a Seattle native living abroad, I quickly noticed something that surprised me. Compared to what I had experienced growing up in the U.S., there were far fewer beauty and wellness offerings centered on Black women in the UK. I saw a gap, and I started wondering, “What if I created something that celebrated us while helping women feel more confident, connected, and empowered?”

That question became the basis of my final business plan thesis.

I wasn’t sitting around saying, “I’m going to build a company.” I was trying to solve a problem I had experienced firsthand. I immersed myself in research, refined the concept, and developed HER GLOW as a model for a business that combined beauty, wellness, creativity, and community.

After graduating, I brought HER GLOW back home to the U.S. with the vision of making it available to women of color globally. Like many entrepreneurs, I didn’t have everything figured out. I had to learn as I went. I built a website, figured out branding, experimented with products, showed up at markets, and listened closely to customers.

One of the first ways HER GLOW came to life was through jewelry. I loved creating beautiful pieces that helped women express themselves and feel good. But what really stood out to me was the conversations. Women would stop by my booth and start sharing stories about work, relationships, confidence, motherhood, and life. I realized they weren’t just looking for earrings. They were looking for connection.

Over the years, HER GLOW evolved beyond products into experiences and community. Alongside my career in tech, I continued growing the brand one step at a time, learning through trial and error, saying yes to opportunities, and staying focused on the mission.

Today, HER GLOW has grown into an ecosystem that includes our Candy Shop, HER GLOW EmpowHERment Experiences™, speaking, and leadership development. Looking back, I’m grateful I didn’t wait until I had everything perfectly mapped out. I started with a problem I cared about, trusted the process, and allowed the business to evolve into something even bigger than my thesis imagined.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

I’m Ifé Thomas, an artist, wellness educator, entrepreneur, and the founder of HER GLOW. I’m also a Seattle native and a proud graduate of Goldsmiths, University of London, where HER GLOW began as my Master’s thesis in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship.

I created HER GLOW because I saw a gap. While living in London, I noticed there were very few beauty and wellness brands centered around Black women and our experiences. I wanted to create something that celebrated women of color while helping us reconnect with ourselves through creativity, confidence, and community. What started as a thesis in 2014 eventually became the business and movement I lead today.

HER GLOW exists to empower women to own their inner and outer glow through wellness, creativity, and community. We do that in three ways. Through the HER GLOW Candy Shop, we create colorful handmade jewelry and accessories that celebrate individuality and joy. Through our HER GLOW EmpowHERment Experiences™, we facilitate conversations and provide practical tools that help women navigate confidence, relationships, self-care, and personal growth. And through speaking and leadership development, I help women lead from a place of authenticity and self-awareness.

At the heart of everything we do is a simple belief: your decisions always tell on you. I believe accountability is power, not punishment, and that women deserve spaces where they can be honest about what they’re experiencing without judgment or pressure to perform.

What sets HER GLOW apart is that we’re not trying to sell perfection. There are plenty of brands telling women to hustle harder or pretend everything is fine. We’re interested in helping women reconnect with themselves and make self-esteem-based decisions. I believe healing should look like real life, not performance.

I’m incredibly proud that what began as an idea in graduate school has grown into a brand that has served women through products, events, speaking engagements, and community. I’m proud that the HER GLOW Candy Shop has completed more than 268 markets and pop-ups throughout the Pacific Northwest, including Amazon, Starbucks, Seattle Opera, Seattle Rep, and the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art. I’m proud that I’ve been invited to speak on entrepreneurship, wellness, and empowerment, but honestly, what means the most to me are the stories women share about finding confidence, clarity, and connection through HER GLOW.

I want people to know that HER GLOW is about more than jewelry or events. It’s about creating spaces where women can be fully themselves, laugh, heal, learn, and grow together. My mission is to empower one million women and girls to own their glow, and we’re just getting started.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

Absolutely. One book that has had the greatest impact on both my life and my entrepreneurial philosophy is *The Four Agreements* by Don Miguel Ruiz. I first encountered it years ago, and I still come back to it regularly because it’s less of a business book and more of a guide for how to live.

The four agreements are simple, but profound:

1. Be impeccable with your word.
2. Don’t take anything personally.
3. Don’t make assumptions.
4. Always do your best.

Those principles have become the framework for how I live and how I lead. They’ve shaped the culture of HER GLOW and influenced the methodology I teach around self-esteem, decision-making, accountability, and self-love.

“Be impeccable with your word” reminds me that integrity matters. The promises we make to ourselves are just as important as the promises we make to others.

“Don’t take anything personally” has been invaluable as an entrepreneur. Rejection, criticism, and setbacks are part of building anything meaningful. Not everything is about you.

“Don’t make assumptions” has influenced how I approach relationships, communication, and even leadership. So many problems come from stories we create instead of conversations we have.

And “always do your best” is one I come back to constantly. Your best changes from day to day, and that’s okay. Progress doesn’t require perfection.

Those ideas became foundational to the HER GLOW philosophy. I often say, “Your decisions always tell on you,” and I believe accountability is power, not punishment. I want women to understand that self-love isn’t just bubble baths and affirmations. It’s honesty. It’s boundaries. It’s making decisions that align with who you say you are.

I’ve read plenty of business books over the years, but *The Four Agreements* is the one that has stayed with me because it speaks to the human side of leadership. At the end of the day, businesses are built by people, and how we treat ourselves and others matters just as much as strategy.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

I built my audience slowly and organically over the years, and honestly, I’m still building it. I don’t think there’s a finish line with social media. Communities evolve, platforms change, and you have to keep showing up.

One thing that’s always been important to me is authenticity. I don’t try to be an influencer. I try to be myself. Through HER GLOW, I share the things that are on my mind and the issues women are navigating in real life. That might be relationships, burnout, caregiving, confidence, entrepreneurship, or whatever is happening culturally that impacts women.

Video has become king, and I’ve leaned into that. I love talking directly to my audience because people connect with people. They want to know who’s behind the brand. They want conversations, not commercials.

I’ve also learned that consistency matters. You don’t have to post every five minutes, but you do have to stay visible. Showing up regularly builds trust. Over time, people start to feel like they know you, and that connection matters.

That said, I don’t post just to post. I need to have something to say or something to sell. I believe content should either provide value, spark conversation, make someone laugh, inspire someone, or invite them into the HER GLOW world. If I’m not adding something meaningful, I’d rather wait.

I also think diversity in your content matters. People know me as the founder of HER GLOW, but they also know I’m an artist, entrepreneur, speaker, and someone who loves pop culture and creativity. I think people connect with brands through people, and they connect with people through stories.

For anyone just starting, my advice is simple: don’t worry so much about going viral. Focus on being recognizable. Show up consistently. Talk about things you genuinely care about. Share value. Let people get to know you. And remember that social media isn’t just about followers. It’s about relationships.

People don’t connect with logos. They connect with people. HER GLOW has a personality because I show up as myself, and I think that’s what keeps people coming back.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://GetHerGlow.com
• Instagram: @herglow, @herglowcandyshop
• Facebook: Facebook.com/herglowcandyshop and Facebook.com/getherglow
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ifethomas/

Image Credits

Photo by Michael Doucette